The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-03-16

New York In every national election. tCheersl
Pursue a broad and catholic spirit. Stick TO
the pledges that are made by the Republican
party. and I'm the next election West Virginia,
Virginia, North Carolina Tennessee, and lndi-
ana will fall into line. Loud cheers / care
not who IL is. All that we ask Is that hepuD-
lcan tried and true be put in charge OF the
standard. care not whether 1t bo Blaine, OF
Maine tremendous cheers or some other Re
publican. Either 10 good enough for the he
publicans OF Virginia
Fellow citizens, I read the other day an ac-
count of the marriage OF George Washington,
and il reminded me OF the present The writer
described lovely. beautiful wedding AT when
the charming bride was led from the chancel 10
n stately chariot drawn by thoroughDreds ana
she and the lovely bevy OF ladies were placed IN
the chariot. while George Washington ana the
gallant company Of gentlemen rode opposite
escorting them u the home. the spirit OF
George Washington to-day is riding by tne
chariot of the nat on and in IL he sees the races
OF the States, as he saw the bride ana tne
brides maids n hundred years ago Ana now,
turning from the sublime TO the ridiculous, the
running gear of that chariot reminded me OF the
past of this country. In the front, with tne
king pin. the national union, springing from the
axle, with the pole that gives direction 10 IT,
being I'm the front is the great Republican party
Behind il, bearing the burdens OF the Statos'
and making a great ado in passing over ruts
that the forewheels have already passed, Is tine
Democratic party, always content 10 go rum
bling and noisy in a track already made, anu
never making track of its own unless the tnihg
is going backwards. Laughter and applause
A word moro and / have done. George wash
ington, the father OF every principle we cher
ish, was household word with me. MY fath-
er's mothers father, ut 10 years of age left ms
bride of but six weeks and followed the for
tunes of George Washington He fought with
n red bandana handkerchief tied to ramrod at
Brandywine. He staid with him and never re-
turned TO his home until my grandmother was
eighteen months old. His namo appears oftener
officer of the day during that bleak ana
dreary winter at Valley Forge than any other
+Ia Ravn Itrtfn rOQf
away Lieutenant and came back Colo
nel and when the French war was threatened,
was chosen commander of the Virginia militia
by George Washington himself. To the day OF
his death, in every company, he had but one
toast, and that was God bless George Washing
ton Applause George Washington IN the
household where 1 reared, was type anu
synonym of all that was noble in my MIND.
was taught that no was greater than Alex
ander, because no tear OF thirst Tor con,
quest ever coursed down his check. L
was taught that he was greater than Caesar,
because he ourbed his ambition. was
taught that he was greater than Marlbor-
ough because no sordid act ever soiled his great
life. was taught that he was greater than
Napoleon, because he was content TO hight Tor
his country and never against another. L was
told that he was greater than all because he
combined statesman soldier, and citizen as no
man before him did or since he died has done.
Applause Speak Of that flagl Why should L
not love 1.-THE flag that George Washington
handed down to us? There never was day, so
help me God that ever felt that it belonged to
anybody else but me- Tremendous cheers
That day has gone and passed forever. The
vision of another empire on this soil has passed
away as a baseless dream. The man that brings
ii up had better busy himself with the present
and the future, because he is proposing a thing
that is dead, that no one can revive. 1t will be
remembered Yes, il will. Among the many
monuments reared to the memory OF George
Washington is one splendid shaft at tho nation
al capital. 1t springs in simple symmetry until
il melts in the blue ether above, taller than tsiy
of its fellows. 1t tell the simple, grand story
of the life of George Washington, and bears
upon its face an allegory mere complete than
is contained in all the heroglyphics upon Cleo
patra's Needle in New York. What is it? From
the ground upward to q certain point il bears a
discolored surface. The stones arc varied
Thence onward IL springs unblemished TO its
completion. For century TO come that monu-
ment will bear that mark-aye, until it crum-
bles back 30 earth, perhaps it will tell the
story. What was it? Was il begun on the
universal concession that George Washington
and his principles should survive? No. 1t
was begun with womans love. One stone ut Il
time, rising slowly that monument to Washing
ton rose, rose, rose, until at last when the great
struggle came which was to decide whether
those principles should be made perpetual 1t
stopped. There il stood while the great struggle
went on Then il paused. Around its top were
clouds and darkness. About it was mist
that hung concealing its incompleteness. 1t
stood like an interro cation mark, as il to say
Shall the principles of George Washington pre-
vail in the land which he made free? At last,
with n new impulse, it began again. Homoge-
neous, bright, unspotted, thence ii sprang on
ward and upward until it was built. and the
completed monument there to-day bears on its
| face the legend telling when it paused. how it
toiled and then how it sprang until it was done.
| The future generations shall ask who completed
| the monument to George Washington; who
| made the story of his life complete? Who plac-
ed it there, the evidence that those principles
| for which he struggled shall be the guiding
| faith OF the people of this land? Be the Repub-
| lican party dead or alive be it banished forever
| from power or yet to come back stronger than
| ever, until the monument shall crumble, until
| il shall fall back TO the earth from which II
| springs, it stands as a perpetual memorial that
| the principles Of George Washington were per
petuated by the Republican party Of this coun'
! try. Applause